HONG KONG, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Anger over a deadly blaze at a Hong Kong high-rise apartment complex simmered on Sunday as Beijing warned against attempts to use the disaster to disrupt the city, while people across the financial hub continued to mourn for the more than 128 victims.

Police on Saturday detained one person who was part of a group that launched a petition demanding government accountability, an independent probe into possible corruption, proper resettlement for residents, and a review of construction oversight, two sources familiar with the matter said.

University student Miles Kwan, 24, was arrested on suspicion of trying to incite sedition in relation to the blaze in the Wang Fuk Court complex in the northern Tai Po district, the South China Morning Post reported. Hong Kong police did not respond on Sunday to a request for comment.

The online petition promoted by the group reached over 10,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon before it was closed.

A second petition with the same demands has been launched by a Tai Po resident who is now living overseas.

“Hongkongers demand the truth and justice,” wrote KY in the comment section of the new online petition.

The blaze that ripped through seven high-rise residential blocks near the border with mainland China has stunned Hong Kong and authorities have launched criminal and corruption investigations as anger and dismay grow.

The cause of the blaze, which killed 128 people and left 150 still missing, is still to be determined.

Authorities are on tenterhooks to avoid any broader public backlash after pro-democracy protests roiled the city in 2019, leading to a Beijing-imposed national security law.

China’s national security authorities on Saturday warned individuals against using the disaster to disrupt the city.

“We sternly warn the anti-China disruptors who attempt to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’. No matter what methods you use, you will certainly be held accountable and strictly punished under the Hong Kong national security law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.”

Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the city’s worst blaze in nearly 80 years as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during renovations at the Wang Fuk Court complex.

Rescue operations at the site concluded on Friday, though police say they may find more bodies as they comb through the hazardous, burnt-out buildings in coming weeks.

Hundreds of officers deployed to search for remains found no further bodies but rescued three cats and a turtle, police officials told a press conference.

The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and rapidly engulfed seven of the eight 32-storey blocks at the complex that were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh and layered with foam insulation for the renovations.

Donations have poured in from large and small companies as well as other groups to assist the victims.

Authorities have said the fire alarms at the Wang Fuk Court estate, home to over 4,600 people, had not been working properly.

The fire is Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year they faced “relatively low fire risks” after complaining about fire hazards posed by the renovation, the city’s Labour Department said.

The residents raised concerns in September 2024, including about the potential flammability of the protective green mesh contractors used to cover the bamboo scaffolding, a department spokesperson said. (Reporting by Jessie Pang, James Pomfret, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Michael Perry)

HONG KONG (AP) — The death toll from a massive fire that broke out at a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong has risen to 55, authorities said Thursday.

They said 51 people had been found dead on the scene, bringing the death toll to 55 including four others who had been brought to the hospital.

More than 70 people were injured, according to the city’s Hospital Authority, many suffering from burn and inhalation injuries.

Firefighters were still battling one of Hong Kong’s deadliest modern blazes for a second day, fighting to control the fire that blackened several high-rise towers. Firefighters said the operation could last until at least Thursday evening.

Thick smoke still poured out of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near the border with the mainland, around midday Thursday. The fire that started midafternoon Wednesday had spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings, and four of the towers were under control by morning, the city’s fire services said.

One firefighter was among the people confirmed dead, officials said.

Resident Lawrence Lee was waiting for news about his wife, who was still trapped in their apartment.

“When the fire started, I told her on the phone to escape. But once she left the flat, the corridor and stairs were all filled with smoke and it was all dark, so she had no choice but to go back to the flat,” he said, as he waited in one of the shelters overnight.

Winter and Sandy Chung, who lived in one of the towers, said they saw sparks fly around as they evacuated Wednesday afternoon. Although they were safe, they were worried about their home. “I couldn’t sleep the entire night,” Winter Chung, 75, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Police have not directly named the company where they work.

“We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police.

Police on Thursday also searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, which the AP confirmed was in charge of renovations in the tower complex. Police seized boxes of documents as evidence, according to local media. Phones for Prestige rang unanswered.

Authorities suspected some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire.

Police also said they found Styrofoam ― which is highly flammable ― attached to the windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower. It was believed to have been installed by the construction company but the purpose was not clear. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said they would investigate the materials further.

The fire started on the external scaffolding of a 32-story tower, then spread on the bamboo scaffolding and construction netting to the inside of the building and then to the other buildings, likely aided by windy conditions. Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high on ladder trucks, but conditions for fighting the fire and rescuing people remained challenging.

The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments for about 4,800 residents, including many older people. It was built in the 1980s and had been undergoing a major renovation.

About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters overnight, and Hong Kong leader John Lee said around midnight that contact had been lost with 279 people. Rescues were continuing, but an updated figure wasn’t available by midday Thursday.

Lee said separately on Thursday that officials will be carrying out immediate inspections of all housing estates across the city that are undergoing major renovation work to ensure scaffolding and construction materials meet safety standards.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimize casualties and losses.

The fire was the deadliest in Hong Kong in decades. In November 1996, 41 people died in a commercial building in Kowloon in a fire that lasted for around 20 hours.

Wu reported from Bangkok. Researcher Shihuan Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.